Ye, I forgot that admin stated they flat out boost pvp.
Well, even this reluctant eco participator won't stop crafting as long as not every ship is available as DLC and we all know that won't happen even if more DLC ship are made available. What does inhibit my crafting is my inability to get enough doubloons to spam connies, I would do that if I could. It may be a good thing as I enjoy the shift towards smaller ships, though I can't comment on whatever other effects the doubloon system has. I've seen people on global offer 40k doubloons for a Christian, so maybe only special cases like me think of dubs as limited in supply?
As far as I can tell crafting and proper player trading only worked during austerity patch, I was fine selling guns for a slow but steady income, people seemed to hate austerity patch... (because they couldn't powergrind pve cash?). Maybe pvp went into the shitter during austerity patch? I can't remember...
Slim, how do you feel about austerity patch as the (possibly) most proper eco setup we've seen?

That is exactly how I am as a player. There is no higher meaning than "The Fight". "Non gratified pvp" is a contradiction in terms for a person like myself. PvP is the very source of gratification por moi.
Hehe, I sure hope the DLC's have boosted pvp. I don't have the numbers so I can't compare the pvp/player/session/global ratios and how DLC ships influenced the statistics. I guess I'm a different kind of DLC buyer as I haven't used them for pvp yet but I keep sending crafted ships to my outposts and use them. It's easy for me because I have this alt setup that excuses me from most of the work and the limitations straight-edge single account players have to endure. I can only relate my own anectodal experience but after DLC and doubloon changes I've seen a lot more every day regular OW pvp. I opted out of the PB game even before early access as I can't motivate myself to do the chores to keep me supplied with expensive ships. I care for my fun/work ratio and all your "meaning" makes it a struggle, I'm not a sandbox (eco) MMO player.
My motivation to write these things on the forum is not to save and protect your kind of fun, it is to try and make sure there's still room for me and people like me. My idea of fun is a threat to your idea of fun, and vice versa. Maybe there is a perfect balance that can be struck? I'm pessimistic as I reckon the tension is too great. I reserve the right to agitate for my fun and I'll let others protect their babies.
The pay2win quotes are interesting. Some of them leave room to label WoT, WoWS and WT as pay2win games. Some people indeed slam those games as pay2win but I personally disagree and thus almost completely disregard that argument as forced. With premium content it gets delicate, though. There is a critical balance of selling premium content without making non-prem players feel disadvantaged.
I could step off the gas pedal and let you argue in peace, but I'm dead scared of the EvE syndrome. NA is too precious to me to stand by silently while you devolve it into the abyss of EvE boredom. Yes, I have an extremely low opinion of that game.

You connect numbers and DLC ships blindly because you want to establish that narrative as truth. Have an opinion, I like that. But this inductive science is just annoying.
People who hate DLC ships should put a picture of me up on the wall and throw darts at it. I asked for premium ship escape from eco years ago. The sandbox eco hardliners weren't pleased with my campaign back then. I assumed premium ships would boost PvP. Was I wrong?

We read you fine. Admin has said he's thinking about making speed profiles special again so your suggestion would fall under that proposed rebalance. He also said that herc would be kept as a capable and powerful ship, so you might not get what you want.
I think your OP suggestion is a bit overboard. I wouldn't want a knee jerk buff of all frigates just because you're annoyed with all the hercs providing pvp content in OW.

Unsure... At least I wouldn't bet on it. The convenience of imported ships here is greater here than prem tanks in wot, and people spam prem tanks forever to grind cash and crew. I am in no way unique in that regard:
I give up! Stupid, buggy spoilers that are uneditable!

This is fantastic! Now the guys will get what they want but they have to pay for it in perks. So dragging fleet ships and sextant leaves little room for fighting perks. Meanwhile I completely ignore fleet perks and sextant for full-on fighting perks.